LINDA BARNESHeart of the World is a detective story set in Boston. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

SUSAN RICHARDS SHREVEA Student of Living Things is a novel set in Washington, D.C. Elliott Bay Book Company,101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

FRIDAY 5/26

TOM DOUGLAS The famous chef talks about (and hopefully makes samples of recipes from) I Love Crab Cakes! 50 Recipes for an American Classic. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 6:30 pm, free.

DELIA FALCONERThe Lost Thoughts of Soldiers is a novel set in 1898 in Georgia. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

BRUCE TAYLOR He reads his contributions to a book called The Bizarro Starter Kit, an anthology intended to introduce you to "the bizarro genre." Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 323-5483 for info, 6:30 pm, free.

SATURDAY 5/27

KATHERINE NORGARDHard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol is a nonfiction account of "the quicksand that occurs when medical disorders and legal consequences meet." Third Place Books, 366-3333, 6:30 pm, free.